What to do when you run out of space on your 16GB phone

Memo to phone manufacturers: 16GB just isn't enough these days. As flash storage has gotten cheaper, it's a wonder why there are still phones with just 8GB of storage space. If you're stuck with a 16GB phone that has (horrors) no microSD slot, there are still ways to get more storage without buying a new phone.

1. OTG drives (for Android)

USB On-The-Go (OTG) isn't new and has been around quite awhile as an option for Android users to plug in various USB peripherals. It has evolved though; before, you would need a special OTG adapter but now thumb drives come with OTG built-in.

These new OTG flash drives now let you plug them directly into your phone, letting you easily access music and files without using up your phone's storage. Mileage might vary on older, slower phones with less powerful processors as they might take longer to detect and access OTG drives.

Major flash drive makers including SanDisk and Kingston, who all have OTG flash drives in various storage options, from 16GB onwards and the good news is they don't cost that much more than regular non-OTG flash drives. The newer ones now even have Type-C USB options instead of just microUSB.

Sadly, like a lot of iPhone accessories, flash drives for iOS cost a lot more than Android equivalents. Expect to pay around US$50-US$80 (S$70 - S$110) for an iOS flash storage solution.

This is partly due to iOS drives needing to support the proprietary Lightning connector and also needing to be able to work properly with iOS, and the extra work needed to make custom apps. Android OTG drives in comparison are pure plug-and-play.

For a funky design, there's the Leef iBridge but there's also Sandisk's iXpand flash drive. The latter just got a refresh, with a new slimmer design similar to the iBridge's and upgraded to USB 3.0, from USB 2.0.

Adata also now has its own iOS-ready flash drive, the i-Memory Flash Drive UE710 that comes with USB 3.0 and supports 4K UHD playback.

There are cheaper generic OEM drives you can purchase online but they'd be a gamble in terms of whether they'd work or getting a longer warranty for when they do stop working.